-
Strawberry Cream Cookies
I don’t think I have ever made cookies with fresh fruit before. Then my husband came home from the store, so excited that strawberries were on sale 4/$5!!! Whoo hoo… what the hell am I going to do with 4lbs of strawberries before they go bad! LOL Then I thought, well, my middle daughter, Gabriella loves strawberries, and she is not big on sweets. Yet maybe if I put strawberries in the sweets, she would like them? Plus, we all love cookies… I mean, I don’t think we can be friends if you don’t like cookies! Just saying. So, that is how this all came about. The Strawberry and cream cookie! What is…
-
Homemade Paczki
In honor of Fat Tuesday this week, I thought I would post this recipe for homemade Paczki! These amazing Polish donuts are so delicious and come in a variety of flavors. My favorite Paczki is filled with raspberry jam. Yet, you can fill it with any jam or even custard that you prefer. How is a Paczki different than a jelly donut? Well, they are very similar, yet the traditional Paczki is made with an additional amount of enriching ingredients such as yeast, eggs. even higher gluten flours or even grain alcohol. This helps create a richer than brioche dough with a chewier bite and little to no crumbs. What flavor is a…
-
Cannoli Dip
I love this quick and easy dessert dip. Not only because it comes together quickly and easily with only a couple of ingredients, but because it travels well, too! We all know how we have gotten so excited to make something. We love it and want all of our friends to try it. SO, we make it for the next event we are going to and then we cannot figure out how we are going to get it there in one piece or by the time it does get there it needs to be reheated or its a mess… that is why I love to bring this simple dip. Pack it up in…
-
Butterscotch Cookies
So, I decided to make these cookies because my middle daughter Gabi, loves butterscotch chips. She is too cute and calls them butterscoutch! LOL Yet, I thought, we could make cookies with just the butterscotch chips and they would be great. Little did I know, they would be sooo great that I would end up eating most of them! Ingredients needed These do not take any special ingredients. Just the usually cookie stuff. They are a fluffy, soft, yet chewy cookie and they are totally addicting! Here’s what you’ll need. -unsalted butter -brown sugar -granulated sugar -vanillla -eggs-always use large eggs when baking-otherwise weigh them out -all purpose flour, you could use gluten…
-
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
This is the perfect frosting for chocolate chip cupcakes, any vanilla cake or any chocolate cake or cupcake. It is thick, rich and fudgy. It is rich and chocolatey, but it is still whipped light. This way you can eat it by the bucket full and not be like, ugh, it’s too rich! LOL The keys to making the perfect chocolate fudge frosting First, always start with softened butter. This will give you a nice even mix and make your frosting creamier and more luscious. Next, make sure you sift your ingredients. The powdered sugar and the cocoa powder can tend to clump on you. If you sift them, you will lightly…
-
Cannoli Cupcakes
When I owned my cupcake shop about 10 plus years ago, these were not only our biggest seller. They were the cupcake I built the business around. I knew I wanted an Italian cupcake shop name so that it would make sense to sell my Italian cupcakes! LOL I made so many cannoli cupcakes in my shop that I could literally make them in my sleep. Here are some I recently did for a friend’s baby shower. I have slightly updated the decor of the cupcake. Although, I don’t know. There is something about the Chicago-stlye neon green greens that go on the top that may be missing! HAHA… or maybe not! …
-
Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Here are the perfect cupcakes for Summertime events! I used to own a cupcake shop, so I have a lot of cupcake recipes in my arsenal. I feel like now more than ever with having kids, we make more cupcakes than I have in a long time. They are such a great dessert to bring to cookouts, summer parties and any get together. They are also the best way to get your favorite dessert into bite sized. This past weekend we had three different parties in three days. I made these in minis and regular size, and they were an absolute hit at every event! What is Strawberry Shortcake? Traditionally, strawberry…
-
Kitchen Sink Cookies
These cookies are inspired by Milk Bar’s Compost cookies. I absolutely love and have so much respect for Christina Tosi, owner/chef of Milk Bar. She is an amazing, once in a lifetime pastry chef with off the wall, once in a lifetime ideas. I mean who would think to start a bakery and ice cream shop based around cereal milk! Anyway, as you can see, I geek out on her and her recipes. So, anytime I can take inspiration from her recipes, I do!! Why kitchen sink cookies? I call these kitchen sink cookies versus compost cookies for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I did not come up with the recipe…
-
Homemade Pumpkin Butter
I was trying to think of yummy treats to add into the baskets that I am creating for a local marketplace. These baskets are Thanksgiving hostess baskets and I wanted to have a mix of cool, fun gifts and yummy homemade gifts. I also wanted to make sure that everything that goes into these baskets can be shelf stable and perfect for Fall. So, I decide pumpkin butter was perfect for one of the homemade treats. I love unexpectedly yummy things like this. Fall “Butters” There is no actual butter in Pumpkin butter or Apple butter for that matter. These are increcible spreads that you can enjoy on everything from toasts to pastries.…
-
Chocolate Banana Bread
There are a million and one banana bread recipes out there. Yet, I cannot help adding one more… especially when it has this much chocolaty goodness in it. In this recipe I wanted to make a banana bread that was a little healthier, but still super indulgent. This definitely fits the bill for both. I made this for a part of gift basket for my bestie when she had her first baby. In the basket I put pasta, homemade pasta sauce, cookies, fresh berries and this amazing banana bread. It packed up so cute and fit perfectly into the basket. They loved this loaf as well. Perfect food basket gift ideas I love…
